Vent unit

ABSTRACT

An improved vent unit assembly is provided for particular use in a mobile home gas refrigerator ventilation system, but which has general utility. The vent assembly of the invention is of a twopiece construction, each of the components of which may be nested with other like components for compact packaging when shipping, and for ease of dismantling when cleaning the ventilation system in which the assembly is incorporated.

United States Patent Berkus [15] 3,654,850 51 Apr.11,1972

[s4] VENT UNIT [7 2] Inventor: Clyde C. Berkus, Encino, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Diversified Designs Services, Mission Hills,

Calif. a part interest [22] Filed: Aug. 26, 1970 [21] Appl. No.1 66,968

[52] US. Cl ..98/61 [51] Int. Cl ..F23l 17/02 [58] Field of Search..98/61-74, 35, 42

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,785,228 12/1930 Schmidt..98/66 2,830,526 4/1958 Breidert ..98/78X 3,192,852 7/1965 StarketalPrimary Examiner-Edward J. Michael Attorney-Jessup & Beecher ABSTRACT Animproved vent unit assembly is provided for particular use in a mobilehome gas refrigerator ventilation system, but which has general utility.The vent assembly of the invention is of a two-piece construction, eachof the components of which may be nested with other like components forcompact packaging when shipping, and for ease of dismantling whencleaning the ventilation system in which the assembly is incorporated.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures VENT UNIT Gas refrigerators, which are inwidespread use in mobile homes, have presented some problems in that itis essential for an adequate ventilation system to be provided. Theusual ventilation system comprises a louvered door in the side of themobile home adjacent the back of the refrigerator to supply air to theburner section, and an exhaust flue, or duct, for carrying away theexhaust gases. The exhaust flue extends to a vent unit in the roof ofthe mobile home. The present invention is concerned with an improvedconstruction for such a roof vent unit and which, as mentioned above,has general utility.

The usual prior art mobile home roof vent comprises a onepiece metalunit which has an awkward shape for shipping purposes. The prior artvent, moreover, is difficult to remove after it has been installed, whenit is desired to clean the vent and the associated ventilation system.

The improved two-piece vent unit of the present invention, isconstructed so that each of its two components has flared sides. Thispermits the components to be nested with other like components, so as toform a compact package for shipping purposes. Also, the two-piececonstruction of the vent unit of the invention permits, for example, thetop of the unit to be removed, merely by removing a few screws, thusfacilitating the operations required for cleaning the unit and theventilation system with which it is associated.

The vent unit of the invention may be formed of any suitable plastic,such as styrene, polypropylene, polyethylene; or other material. Thevent unit has a two-piece construction, as mentioned above, and its twoparts may be appropriately formed by injection molding, so that the unitmay be fabricated on a mass production basis at a relatively low cost,and may be sold at a relatively low price.

The vent unit of the present invention is intended, as indicated above,to replace the more expensive and less durable metallic unit of theprior art, and to provide, in general, a durable and rugged unit of atwo-piece construction, which is low in cost, easy to ship; and which isconstructed in a manner to facilitate the cleaning of the ventilationsystem in which it is installed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an expanded perspective viewof the two components which make up one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section of the assembly, showing the twocomponents as they are mounted in a typical installation;

FIG. 3 shows a group of one of the two components of FIG. 1 nestedwithin one another so as to form a compact shipping package; and

FIG. 4 shows the other component nested with like components, likewise,to form a compact shipping parcel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT The vent unit of theinvention, in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, comprises afirst, or lower part having a generally rectangular configuration. Thepart 10 has an open top and an open bottom. A flange 12 extends aroundthe periphery of the open bottom in uniplanar relationship with thebottom. The flange 12 has holes 14 which permit the part 10 to bemounted, for example, on the roof of a mobile home around an opening inthe roof and over the top of the aforesaid exhaust flue associated, forexample, with the gas refrigerator in the mobile home. As mentionedabove, the part 10, as well as the second part 16 of the vent, may beformed by injection molding of an appropriate plastic material, in whichcase the hole l4, and other mounting holes in the unit are formed duringthe molding process.

The second part 16 of the vent also has a rectangular configurationgenerally confirrning with the configuration of the part 10. l-Iowever,the length and widthof the bottom of the part 16 is greater than thelength and width of the top of the part 10, so that the part 16 may besupported in an overlying relationship with respect to the part 10.

The part 10 has a side wall 18 which is integral with the flange l2 andwhich extends upwardly from the flange, with an inwardly flaredconfiguration. An upstanding rim 19 is formed integral with the upperedge of the part, and it functions as a rain guard. The part 16 has aside wall 20 which is integral with the closed top 22, and which has anoutwardly flared configuration. A pair of tabs 24 are formed integralwith the side wall 20 of the part 16 at the respective ends of the part,and these tabs serve to support the part 16 over the part 10 with theside walls 18 and 20 in a generally telescoping spaced relationship, andwith the lower rim of the top 16 displaced up from the flange 12, so asto permit gases to escape between the two parts. The tabs 24 haveflanges 24a formed at their lower extremities, the flanges havingapertures 26 which are axially aligned with the end apertures 14 in theflange 12, so that common mounting screws 30 may be used.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that merely by removing two or threeof the screws 30 at each end of the assembly, the upper part 16 may beremoved from the lower part, so that the two parts may be easilycleaned, as well as the internal duct system, without any need to removeall the screws supporting the lower part of the roof of the structure.

Moreover, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper part and lower partsmay be nested into one another in separate packages, so as to provide acompact and space-saving package for shipping purposes.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, modifications may be made, and it is intended in thefollowing claims to cover all the modifications which come within thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A two-piece vent comprising: a first part having an elongatedgenerally rectangular configuration with an open top and an open bottomand having a peripheral flange extending around said open bottom andfurther having an upstanding inwardly flared side wall integral withsaid flange; and a second part having a generally similar rectangularconfiguration to that of said first part and having an open bottom of alength and width greater than the length and width of said open top ofsaid first part, said second part having a closed top and an outwardlyflared side wall integral therewith and extending to the open bottomthereof, and further having means extending between said first part andsaid second part to support said second part in a spaced overlyingrelationship with respect to said first part, said last-named meanscomprising a pair of integral tabs extending down from said side wall ofsaid second part at the respective ends thereof with the lower ends ofsaid tabs shaped to overlie the aforesaid flange of said first part, andscrew means securing said tabs to said flange, said tabs supporting saidsecond part over said first part with the respective side walls of thefirst and second parts in spaced telescoping relationship with oneanother.

2. The two-piece vent defined in claim 1, in which said first part hasan upstanding rim fonned integral with the upper edge thereof andextending around the aforesaid open top thereof to form a rain guard forthe vent.

1. A two-piece vent comprising: a first part having an elongatedgenerally rectangular configuration with an open top and an open bottomand having a peripheral flange extending around said open bottom andfurther having an upstanding inwardly flared side wall integral withsaid flange; and a second part having a generally similar rectangularconfiguration to that of said first part and having an open bottom of alength and width greater than the length and width of said open top ofsaid first part, said second part having a closed top and an outwardlyflared side wall integral therewith and extending to the open bottomthereof, and further having means extending between said first part andsaid second part to support said second part in a spaced overlyingrelationship with respect to said first part, said last-named meanscomprising a pair of integral tabs extending down from said side wall ofsaid second part at the respective ends thereof with the lower ends ofsaid tabs shaped to overlie the aforesaid flange of said first part, andscrew means securing said tabs to said flange, said tabs supporting saidsecond part over said first part with the respective side walls of thefirst and second parts in spaced telescoping relationship with oneanother.
 2. The two-piece vent defined in claim 1, in which said firstpart has an upsTanding rim formed integral with the upper edge thereofand extending around the aforesaid open top thereof to form a rain guardfor the vent.